Willkie Sprint: A Story of Friendship, Love, and Winning the First Women’s Little 500 Race

In the triumphal spirit of Breaking Away comes the unforgettable true story of the first women’s Little 500 race at Indiana University.

In 1987 four young women from different walks of life enrolled at Indiana University. No one knew that these four freshmen would defy the odds and go down in history as the underdog team to win the first ever women’s Little 500 bicycle race the following spring. Willkie Sprint is the inspiring true story of that year of wonder and challenge, of the unbreakable bond they forged, and of the race they were determined to win.

Kerry Hellmuth, a member of the legendary team Willkie Sprint, tells of that remarkable year of finding friendship and competitive purpose with her teammates, discovering the many beauties of Bloomington and the surrounding countryside from her bicycle, and embracing a larger world of insight and women’s rights through the guidance of remarkable professors. Hellmuth soon realized that her team did not ride alone: they rode to victory on the shoulders of so many bold and visionary women who came before, including the team of upperclassmen whose belief and perseverance had helped found the women’s Little 500 race and who were the heavy favorites to win in its inaugural year.

Willkie Sprint relives the thrilling race across 100 grueling laps, not only making it a story for the history books but also serving as an inspiring testament to all women riders on that landmark day.

Kerry Hellmuth spends many of her waking hours either riding a bike or figuring out how she can fit a ride into her schedule. She is a recovering attorney and also refuses to use the PhD in Behavioral Economics that she worked so hard to obtain late in life at the University of Trento in Italy. She lives in Trento with her two beloved teenage sons, who remind her on a daily basis that she is old and does not know anything.